Anabelle Opening a Birthday Gift from Grammy

Anabelle loved her gift from Grammy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ATM03bKwcE&feature=plcp

Thank you, Auntie Carla!

My sister sent Anabelle a Perfect Petzzz for her birthday. It was an orange tabby. The great part about these pets is they appear to be real. This one purrs and its belly goes up and down as if it is breathing. When Anabelle woke up this morning, her orange tabby was waiting on her. She wouldn't touch it! It was so fuuny. She asked, "Mommy, is it real?" I told her she had to touch it. After a couple of rounds of that, she decided to wake up her sister.

On the way upstairs, she came across Jasper and said in a whisper, "Jasper, you have a new kitty." When she went into her sister's room, she said, "Emma Rose, we have a new kitty, and IT'S MINE!" What's so funny about that is that Anabelle has a love/hate relationship with our cat, Jasper. She finally figured out that the orange tabby was not real. She looked at me and said, "I wanted her to be real." She got over that pretty quickly and named her kitty Jasmine Fluffly Rainbow Carpenter. This is the thank you video we made for Auntie Carla this morning. The guest appearance is by Emma Rose.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8Yr8UHt24E&feature=plcp

Emma Rose Jumping in the Pool

This video is of Emma Rose jumping in the pool during our mini-vacation at Brasston Valley Resort. We had such a great time! There were lots of child-friendly activities, and it was very relaxing for the adults. We even hiked up to Brasstown Bald, the highest point in Georgia. It was absolutely beautiful. I can't wait to go back! I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we can go back in the Fall when the changing leaves are at their peaks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NnOE2Lf5n8

Anabelle's Class

The girls' elementary school had Penny Wars for a little over a week. They took in pennies and silver and filled jars each morning for each grade. (This is really great because it is part of the fundraising effort instead of selling wrapping paper and popcorn!) The winning grade earned an ice cream party. Pennies were positive, and silver was negative. Kindergarten won this year! I was able to help with the ice cream party and grabbed a picture of Anabelle's class.

The LCM

My sister helped me with a little surprise for John, Chris, and Dewayne. They each have matching shirts embroidered with their names! I haven't been able to get a picture of all three of them in the shirts together, but I did get a couple of pictures of John and Dewayne together!

Pickled Okra

We bought this okra at the local farmers market. I love picked okra!

Painting!

I have gotten on a painting kick lately. First, I painted what was my mom's room when she was here. It turned out pretty good, & I still have a few more things I want to get for the walls. I also have a quilt rack my mom gave to me about 18 months ago that is in need of a blanket or two. My next project was Anabelle's room, & I am so proud of it! I'm working on a few things to put on the walls in there, too. So far, Anabelle loves it! The next room will be Emma Rose's room!

A Winged Find

I found this on the way to the gym last week. Not sure what variety he is, but he was big!

First Day of School!

Today is Anabelle's first day of kindergarten and Emma Rose's first day of second grade. They had a great morning and were so excited to go to school!